Queens leaders and community members gathered at the corner of 146th Street and 27th Avenue in Whitestone for a street co-naming ceremony in honor of the late former Queens Community Board 7 chair and former FDNY veteran Eugene “Gene” Kelty on Saturday, Oct. 4.
Kelty, who died last March at the age of 70, served as a member of CB7 for approximately 41 years, including 29 years as the chairman. He also served in the FDNY for 39 years, including as a 9/11 first responder. Even after helping to save lives that day, Kelty spent the days that followed sifting through the rubble.
Notable attendees of the street co-naming of “Chief Eugene T. Kelty Way” included Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, New York City Council Members Vickie Paladino and Sandra Ung, Assemblymembers Edward Braunstein and Ron Kim, Congressmembers Grace Meng and Tom Suozzi, State Senator John Liu, Community Board 7 Chair Chuck Apelian, Kelty’s family and members of the FDNY.
“I knew Gene personally through his longtime work and service to our Queens community through Community Board 7,” Meng said. “We also knew him not just as a public servant for the borough of Queens, but to the entire city and country through the FDNY. He not only fought for his brothers and sisters, but also fellow firefighters who suffered and continue to suffer from 9/11. He came to advocate in Washington D.C. in the Halls of Congress, even when he wasn’t feeling so well. He wanted to make sure that he was doing everything he could do to provide resources and to protect others, not just in New York, but around the country.”
Kelty was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in 2014 as a result of the extended exposure to fallout and dust he experienced while working on Ground Zero. He would undergo radiation to treat the disease before having a tumor removed in 2015. He was declared cancer-free shortly after this successful procedure.
“Every once in a while, somebody comes along who gives such a great example that it makes you want to be better. Somebody who devotes themselves not only to their friends and family but to the larger community, and they really make a difference. And Gene was that person, somebody that makes us all want to be better. When you look at all the things that he accomplished, all the things he participated in, it’s really remarkable how many different things he did on behalf of other people,” Suozzi said. “We’re here to honor him today. We’re here to pray for him, to thank him for his service again, to let his family know that we respect and admire him.”
Liu and Braunstein pointed out that Kelty was never afraid to be vocal during CB7 meetings. At the same time, he was able to maintain order whenever things would begin to get contentious.
“Eugene was not the type to run from a fight, and that was apparent from 9/11, when he ran towards the danger,” Richards said. “He was a hero who always answered the call of duty and went beyond the call of duty, and his selfless actions in the national tragedy of 9/11 exemplified that well. Beyond that, to serve on the community board for 40 years, it is such a thankless job. You’re not getting paid to be the chair of the Community Board. Thank you to Community Board 7 members as well, because this is really a selfless act, people who really are concerned about their community. Eugene did it well. He would never leave any stone unturned, and he fought to make northeast Queens a better place.”
“Eugene’s legacy will live on. His unwavering commitment to this community, his leadership, his love and respect, most of all, for everyone, will live on,” Richards continued. “He will forever live in my heart. He really was an outstanding mentor, even when we would have difficult conversations as we ran borough cabinet meetings. He was a source of inspiration, but also he brought everybody together.”
The street co-naming was organized by Paladino, who, like many of the other elected officials present, had a close relationship with Kelty.
“There is no way to describe a person who has given his entire lifetime to serving others,” Paladino said. “We all know Gene did not have a wife, but we here in the community, along with his family, we were Gene’s family. We were everything to him. He woke up every single day and he had something to do to make something better. He believed in conversation, as cantankerous as it may have been.”
Ung noted that across the 20 years she knew Kelty, he was always passionate, unwavering and reliable.
